Melanie South wasted an opportunity to register the biggest win of her career against 16th seed Marion Bartoli, of France, losing her Australian Open first round match 6-2, 6-4 and then set her sights on breaking into the top 100.

South was leading 4-1 in the second set and had the former Wimbledon finalist looking totally bedraggled only to allow her serve to falter and her opponent back into the match.

South, ranked 102, suddenly found she was having to save a match point in a tenth game which showed her battling qualities but could not extend the contest. It was a meek end to what had, at times, been a solid performance from the British No2.

South, who lives in New Malden, spent Christmas training with her coach in Sydney and believes she is " just one away from cracking the top 100."

Compatriot Katie O'Brien, meanwhile, was beaten 6-4, 6-4 by Romania's Monica Niculescu today in a first-round match which showed she still needs to power up her ground strokes.

But a confident O'Brien said: "Getting four British girls into the main draw here is no fluke and we want to prove that and there is still a lot more to come from all the girls."